And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32, NKJV
From time to time, we all make a mess of things. Despite our very best intentions, we stain the carpet, misplace the borrowed item, or break the priceless heirloom. We do something irrational, say something unreasonable, or neglect an obligation we should have fulfilled.
We all stand in need of God’s forgiveness, which He freely grants when we confess our sin. God wants us to pass this gift on to others when they sin against us. Unfortunately, we live in a world where sincere confession is likely to induce the outpouring of additional blame.
A society eager to censure others may hear an apology as nothing more than an admission of guilt. “See, she admits it,” they say, and the scolding merely intensifies. This is not the way of Christ. He taught us to forgive others since we ourselves have been forgiven by Him.